TWO GERMAN journalists are thought to have been arrested in Iran after conducting an interview with the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. Ms Mohammadi Ashtiani’s son, Sajad Ghaderzadeh, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, are also believed to have been detained.
The journalists, a reporter and a photographer from Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper, were interviewing Mr Ghaderzadeh in the northwest city of Tabriz in East Azerbaijan province of Iran when officials raided the office of the lawyer.
Their names have not been released and it is not clear where they are being kept at the moment.
“I was on the phone with one of the journalists in the middle of their interview when apparently a group of officials raided the office and our communication was instantly interrupted,” said Mina Ahadi of Iran’s Committee Against Stoning.
According to Ms Ahadi, the two arrived in Tehran almost five days ago for an interview with Ms Mohammadi Ashtiani’s son, whose campaign to save his mother’s life from stoning has taken the world’s attention since July this year.
Mr Ghaderzadeh has repeatedly been threatened by Iran’s intelligence service not to talk to media.
“It was around 5pm in Germany when it happened, I could hear them shouting ‘what is happening’ at the other end of the phone in Iran and they told me they should hang up and I have not heard from them since,” said Ms Ahadi.
Ms Mohammadi Ashtiani’s family have confirmed that Mr Ghaderzadeh has not returned since the meeting and the lawyer is missing. It is not clear whether the journalists had permission to work in Iran.
Last December two German diplomats were arrested in Tehran for what Iran described as their involvement in anti-governmental protest.
Germany is among those countries which condemned the stoning punishment in Iran and asked for the release of Ms Mohammadi Ashtiani. – (Guardian service)